Used Toyota Kluger review: 2014-2021

Is Toyota Kluger a good car?

In the world of second-hand cars, the Toyota brand is right up there with the best of them. And within the Toyota world, the Kluger, thanks to its conservative specification and sharp build quality, is near the top of that ladder, too. So, yes, it’s a pretty sound car even with its share of kilometres and years under its wheels.

The body is a big station-wagon and the seats are comfy. Fold the rear seats flat and you’ve almost got a cargo van on your hands. For all that, and the slightly jacked-up ride height, the Kluger, for the most part, drove just like a normal car provided you knew where the corners were when parking.

Toyota Kluger reliability

Toyota reliability is legendary and, for the most part, deserved.

Like any car-maker, Toyota has dropped the reliability ball from time to time, but it’s a much rarer thing to see than from some of the competition. And when it does nail reliability and durability – as it did with the Kluger – then the only thing that will sideline a Kluger will be a lack of maintenance of previous abuse or neglect.

Toyota Kluger problems

It’s hard to think of another car that has a better reliability track record than the Kluger. The driveline is stout and overall build quality is high.

But perhaps the one Kluger you don’t want to accidentally buy is the ex-first responder vehicle. Thanks to that reliability, police forces, paramedics and rescue services were all attracted to the car and such examples, while generally meticulously serviced, were also often started from dead cold and immediately driven very fast. That’s just the nature of first-responding.

Of course, if any car was going to survive that sort of treatment, it was probably the Kluger, but it’s something to keep in mind. Check for aerial holes in bodywork, extra dashboard holes and shadows on the paint where decals have been removed as clues to a heroic past.

For reasons that still haven’t been adequately explained, Klugers (and most Toyotas, actually) of this era had dreadful Bluetooth systems. Problems ranged from drop-outs, poor reception and problematic pairing. Toyota couldn’t seem to fix it, either, and many owners replaced the head unit with an aftermarket one to address the problem. If the stock unit is still fitted and you need Bluetooth connectivity, budget on a replacement head unit. It will represent an upgrade anyway.

Staying inside the cabin, check the leather trim carefully. If neglected, this could dry out very quickly and become brittle and hard to the touch. At that point it needs urgent attention to avoid cracking and breaking up. A cared-for Kluger will have had its leather regularly treated which should still feel supple as a result.

While quality generally was good, the one area where Toyota was having all sorts of problems (across multiple models) was paint quality. The theory is that the paint supplier had a seriously bad batch of paint which simply didn’t stick to the car properly. White was the worst offender, but any colour could be affected, with huge sheets of paint simply peeling away from the car when you next washed it. Most were fixed by Toyota, but there could still be affected cars out there.

A close check of any family vehicle like this one is also important to find broken bits of trim and other damage that the average family with kids, dogs and scooters is capable of dishing out. Watch out, too, for a Kluger with a tow-hitch. If there’s a fishing boat in the car-port when you go to inspect the Kluger, chances are it’s been used to launch that boat into salt water.

Toyota Kluger recall

Despite the overall build quality, the Kluger, like any mass-produced product can have problems crop up. When those problems have potential safety implications, the car’s maker will issue a safety recall.

So, the recalls that apply to this car were for a stability-control function that may not default to on, a fuel pump failure issue, a vacuum pump failure in the braking system and a potential power-steering issue.

You can check whether a particular Kluger has had these recalls attended to by checking with a Toyota dealership who will have records of what was done to what car, by referencing the vehicle’s VIN. You may also find a sticker inside the door jamb as proof of which recalls have been carried out.

You can also check out your vehicle via the government’s website at: https://www.vehiclerecalls.gov.au/

Toyota Kluger years to avoid

Toyota never really messed with the Kluger concept across this model’s lifespan. The engine remained the super reliable 3.5-litre petrol V6, and it was only ever available with a conventional automatic transmission.

So there’s not really any particular years to avoid, and we’d always buy on condition rather than year, taking each Kluger on its individual merits.

However, the 2017 facelift did bring some new tech to the engine in the form of direct and port-injection (port-injection only on the previous car) which boosted power by 17kW (201 played 218) along with claims of greater economy. The latter is a bit debatable and the Kluger was always relatively thirsty.

But the facelift also brought a transmission upgrade with a shift from a six-speed to an eight-speed unit, and this, more than anything else was responsible for any gains in fuel efficiency.

The bottom line is that the earlier models are just as good as the later ones from a buy-me perspective. And that’s all because the core engineering was so sound.

Toyota Kluger how many kilometres

Because of the inherent reliability, many Klugers are well into their third batch of 100,000km. The engine, in particular, is capable of notching up more than 400,000km without major problems, and the conventional transmission does not have the durability problems of some CVT and dual-clutch units.

That’s all dependent, of course, on the Kluger having been serviced and maintained properly. So that’s one of the first things to look at; the service history . Watch out for missing or skipped services. Take a close look, too, at the overall condition of the vehicle. Bald tyres and warped brake discs don’t signify a well-cared for example.

But the bottom line is that you wouldn’t necessarily reject a Kluger with 250,000km on board, provided the price reflected that mileage.

Toyota Kluger best model

For our money, we’d ditch the optional all-wheel-drive versions for the front-drive models. They’re cheaper to buy now, and even though all-wheel-drive suggests some off-road capability, in fact the Kluger had none. Even Toyota would admit that the car’s off-road smarts started and ended with a gravel road. The flip-side would be if you plan to tow a caravan or boat, at which point the constant four-wheel-drive becomes more of an asset.

In fact, the all-wheel-drive only operated once the car’s computer had detected wheel-slip, so for any other time, it operated as a front-wheel-drive. There was a button that allowed the driver to manually engage all-wheel-drive up to 40km/h, but it’s a fair bet most owners have never pressed it. The front-wheel-drive models were also cheaper to buy new and have retained some of that margin. They’re also lighter and slightly less thirsty as a result.

The Kluger weas sold in three grades: GX, GXL and Grande. While there were big price jumps between those grades in the day, now there’s less of a price premium, making a Grande pretty tempting. It also means a safer car, as the early Grande added lane-departure warning, pre-collision warning, blind-spot monitoring and active cruise-control. Those features were added to the GX and GXL models in the 2017 facelift, so if it’s an early Kluger you’re looking at, the Grande is definitely worth the extra.

Toyota Kluger resale value

Right now, there are about 300 listing for second-hand Klugers of this age group for sale on our sister website, Gumtree Cars. Prices range from low-teens for early cars with plenty of kilometres, although it’s possible to still find cars with more moderate mileages for similar money.

Late model, high-spec examples with less than 50,000km showing are closer to the low-$60,000 mark and there’s lots and lots of worthwhile buys in between those two ends of the price spectrum.

Toyota Kluger parts

Toyota has the largest dealer network in Australia and is also committed to regional areas where some of the competition don’t bother. As such, finding parts and service should be pretty easy regardless of where you live.

The engine of the Kluger is also shared with other Toyota models including the Aurion and Camry, so there’s no shortage of service and repair parts either through Toyota dealerships, traditional parts suppliers or online.

As well as original equipment spares, there’s also a thriving aftermarket for Toyota parts, and those are often cheaper than OE stuff, but be wary of quality when shopping with overseas-based online retailers.

Toyota Kluger sales

The lack of a trendy turbo-diesel option at the time played against the Kluger somewhat. It was also a relative expensive car, but its reputation allowed Toyota to sell around 7000 to 8000 per year over the life of this model. That means there are plenty out there now to choose from.

Verdict